Sign-plate support



Feb. 20, 1923. 1,445,925.

A. D. WYCKOFF.

SIGN PLATE SUPPORT. nun APR/28, 1922 Patented 2Q, 1223.

ll TATE Ei- ANDREW n.- wYcKorr, or can PARK, rumors, assreivor; TO OIL raonrrc'rs APPLIANCE (30., OF MAYW'OOD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION ILLINOIS,

SIGN-PLATE sorron'r.

Application filed April 28, 1922.. Serial No. 557,236.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, ANDREW D. VVYCKOFF, a citizen. of the United States, and a resident of Oak Park, Cook County, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sign-Platesupports, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description.

h ports and the method of producing them, and its principal object is to provide a sign plate support which may be attached to sheet metal tanks or other sheet metal articles, without perforating the wall of the tank or other article, and which will support the sign plate flush with or contingu ous with the outer face of the tank or article.

It is particularly desirable that the walls of oil or gasoline tanks remain imperforate,

so as to eliminate all possibility of leakage, and as such tanks are usually constructed of sheet metal, a sign plate cannot be secured thereto by screws or rivets without puncturing the sheet metal wall. With the present invention, a tablet or sign plate may be readily secured to tank walls light gauge metal, without perforating the same. The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

-The invention isclearly illustrated inthe '1 of the tank, two sign supports and a jig employed in the method of attaching-the supports; and Fig. 4 is a detail, vertical cross-section showing a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring to said drawing, which illus trates a simple embodiment of the invention the reference character A designates a frag ment of the wall of a sheet metal tank and, as is customary, the wall is constructed of sheet metal of insufficient thickness to permit of drilling and tapping it for screws,

for fastening a sign plate in place thereon.

A tablet or other sign plate B is shown secured to the wall A. by means embodying the present invention, and said sign plate is shown as secured flush with or contigu is invention relates to sign plate supa thereto.

. plate may overlap the blocks,- and one with the outer face 12 of said wall. At the places where it is desired to secure the sign plate to the tank, the metal of-the wall is depressed inwardly to form recesses or depressed portions 13, of suitable shape and in said depressions are secured metal blocks 1 1, whose outer faces 15 lie flush withthe outer face 12 of the tank wall Al The blocks 14: are permanently secured in the recessed portions, preferably by welding them Each block has a threaded hole 16 formed therein, which is adaptedfor the reception of a screw 17. The sign plate B is formed withscrew holes 18 that register with the screw holes 16,. and in fastening the plate in place, the screws 17 are inserted through said holes 18 and screwed screw holes 16 in the blocks 14.

place, covers the latter and the depressed into the c I The sign whenin portions and is held, flush with or contiguous with the. outer face of the vides a neatand attractive'sign.

In carrying out the method of forming,

supports for sign plates for tanks, thedepressions 13 are first made in thetank wall by suitable discs, or otherwise, as is desired, and said depressions are located so as to come behind the sign plate which is to be attached to-the tank. A suitable number of depressions are made to afi'orda secure support tank wall and profor the sign plate. The blocks, which are l ,to be secured in said depressions, are then temporarily placed on a jig 20, which has threaded pins 21. which screw into the screw holes 16 of the blocks. The threaded pins 21 of the jig are located on the jig frame 23 in proper position to register with the screw holes 18 in the sign plate, whereby the blocks" may be properly located on. the tank wall with the screw holes thereof, in position to register with the screw holes of the sign plate,

spring pressed in one direction, whereby when. the jig is held in place the blocks 14 when it is applied thereto. -The threaded pins 21 are slidably held in sleeves 22 supported by the jig frame, and are may be firmly held against the depressed portions of the tank wall. After the jig, with the blocks carried thereby,.are put in place, the blocks are welded or fused to the depressed portions 13. Conveniently, a spot welding machine is employed for welding them to the tank wall and the two spot welding copper contact members 24,25, of

said machine, are shown, one contacting with the outer face of the block and one contacting with the inner face of the depressed portion of the tank. When the electric current is turned on, the block is welded to the tank wall, as is well understood.

The several blocks are welded to the wall in the same manner and after the jig and welding machine are removed, the sign plate may be attached to the blocks by the screws.

in the modified form of the invention, as illustrated in Fig. at, the block 1-? may be provided with a pin or stud 17 which proje cts laterally therefrom and is either formed integral therewith or threaded therein, as is desired. The sign plate may he slipped upon the pin or stud and the end of the latter headed down upon the outer face of the sign plate.

In place of spot-welding the block to the depressed portion of the tank or other article, it may be permanently secured thereto by any process of welding, or brazing, or by soldering it thereto, as is well understood.

From the above, it is perfectly evident that a tablet, sign or other plate may be firmly, but removably, secured to a thin iorating the same for screws,

walled article, such as a tank, without perrivets or the like, and that the plate may be held flush or contiguous with the outer face of the article, thereby giving a pleasing and attractive appearance to assembled parts.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without departing from the spirit of this inventioml desire,

therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the construction shown and described, but intend, 1n the following claims,

to point out all of the invention disclosed herein with screw holes in the l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Means for securing a tablet to an impertorate portion a sheet metal article, com rising a block, permanently secured in an inwardly depressed portion of the sheet metal article by fusing it thereto, and a stem projecting from said block, and extend ing through a hole in the tablet, said. stem having a shoulder on its outer end engaging with the outer face of the tablet.

2. Means for securing a tablet to an im perforate portion of a sheet metal article, comjn'ising a relatively thin block, perinanently secured in a shallow inwardly depressed portion of the sheet metal article by fusing it thereto, the thickness of said block being no greater than the depth of the recess,

- and a stem projecting from said block, and

a hole in the tablet, said stem having a shoulder on its outer end extending through engaging with the. outer face of the tablet.

3. Means for securing a tablet th an imperiorate portion of a sheet metal article, (JOl'IIPIlSlHg a block, permanently secured in an inwardly depressed portion of thes-heet metal article by fusing it thereto, and formed with a screw hole, and a screw extending through a screw hole in the tablet and threaded in the screw t. Means for secuiing'aplate to a wall hole of the block;

of a sheet metal tank, comprising a plurality of blocks located in and welded to inwardly depressed portions of the wall, said blocks being formed vwith screw. holes registering plate, and screws extending through the screw holes in the plate and threaded in the screw holes of the blocks.

ANDREW D. wYoKorr. 

